Wohlfahrtiosis in Italy: a case in a puppy and overview of geographical distribution

Bonacci, Teresa; Curia, Giuseppe; Scapoli, Chiara; Pezzi, Marco

doi:10.2754/avb202089020171

Acta Veterinaria > Archive > 2020, Vol. 89 > Issue 2 > Wohlfahrtiosis in Italy: a case in a…

Acta Vet. Brno 2020, 89: 171-177

https://doi.org/10.2754/avb202089020171

Wohlfahrtiosis in Italy: a case in a puppy and overview of geographical distribution

Teresa Bonacci¹, Giuseppe Curia², Chiara Scapoli³, Marco Pezzi³

¹University of Calabria, Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Science, Cosenza, Italy
²Azienda Sanitaria Provinciale di Cosenza, Servizio Veterinario, Cosenza, Italy
³University of Ferrara, Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Ferrara, Italy

Received November 26, 2019
Accepted April 30, 2020

The report describes a case of urogenital myiasis in a puppy, Canis lupus familiaris (Carnivora: Canidae) caused by Wohlfahrtia magnifica (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) in Calabria, southern Italy. This species is an obligatory agent of myiasis in human and other warm-blooded vertebrates. The puppy was healthy and was not living near farm animals, usual hosts of this flesh fly. An overview of cases of human and animal myiasis caused by W. magnifica in Italy and of data and specimens documented in entomology museum collections is also reported.

Keywords

canine, urogenital myiasis, Wohlfahrtia magnifica.

Funding

We wish to thank Professor Krzysztof Szpila (Department of Ecology and Biogeography, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Toruń, Poland) for confirming the identification of Wohlfahrtia magnifica. This study received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for profit sectors.